Dark Chocolate
by Suki Yume
Summary: A Valentine's fic: Shiki and Rima finally admit their long-hidden feelings for each other and Rima inadvertently  manages to change Shiki's mind about dark chocolate. Just a sweet fic for Shiki/Rima lovers!


_A/N: Happy Valentine's everyone! I know I'm a bit late, but I just managed to get my computer fixed today and I just HAD to type this up tonight, even though it's 2am in the morning now lol. There's nothing much in this fic, just pure sweetness with a touch of funniness ... I thought I had to lighten up the mood after depressing everyone with my other Shiki/Rima fic Vacancy. =P This fic is not exactly related to my other one, which means you don't necessarily have to read Vacancy to understand this. If you want to put this fic into context, well it would come before Vacancy. ^_^ Well I hope you enjoy, and please excuse any mistakes, I'm rather sleepy. ^_^_ _Please review!_

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**Dark Chocolate**

A teenage boy with red-brown hair sat munching half-heartedly on a stick of Pocky, his mind obviously elsewhere. As he sat reclined in a chair in the modelling studio, his eyes were trained on the girl currently walking down the catwalk, admiring her gracefulness and the way the studio lights played with her exquisite copper hair, making it shimmer and shine. She looked like an angel … _if only she was my angel_, he thought, a small smile gracing his lips.

He had loved her for a long time. Having grown up with her, they were very close and as the years went by, the childhood affection and attachment began to slowly but surely blossom into something more, something much more special. But growing up as childhood friends had its disadvantages: he had no idea how to inform her of his love for her. Furthermore, there was a part of him that was afraid; afraid that she didn't feel the same way and their close friendship would be destroyed. And her friendship meant a lot to him. She was all he had ever known.

As they grew up as young models, they were always taught to shield themselves from the outer world, to protect themselves from those who wanted to use them. As a result, he had become quite an expert at schooling his features, at keeping his thoughts and feelings bottled up within him. But something about this girl, something about his _angel _prevented him from doing this when she was around. Rima was one of the very few people he could freely open up to, and with her, he seemed to be an entirely different person.

As Rima retreated back into the dressing rooms, he began to become aware of other things. His expressionless eyes roamed the studio, picking up conversations here and there, noticing the other models for the very first time … He looked down at the stick of Pocky in his hand. It tasted different … Shiki was surprised to see that in his haste to get down to the studio and watch Rima's first shoot; he had mistakenly taken the wrong box. His favourite was chocolate, but the box said in big, bold letters: Dark Chocolate Flavoured. It seemed a bit too bitter for his taste. Nevertheless, he couldn't bear the thought of wasting his favourite snack, and continued to eat the box of Pocky. He smiled slightly to himself as a thought suddenly occurred to him: _dark chocolate is like loving someone … so bitter but you still want more …_

An hour later, Rima had finished all her shoots and came to join him at the exit to the studio. Some of their friends from school had also come to watch Rima's shoot and they all surrounded her, congratulating her on her great work. Shiki saw Takuma and Aido crowding round her, saying something he couldn't make out. They all erupted into laughter and Shiki felt a pang of jealousy strike him. _He _wanted to be the one to make her laugh, to make her smile. Shiki moodily turned on his heel and made for the exit to the building, his friends noticing his leave and following him out. As they got outside, the group disbanded and separated into their own little groups, an air of excitement and liveliness still surrounding them. This finally allowed Rima some space and she quietly approached Shiki, joining him as he leant over a gate.

"Ne, Shiki, what's wrong?"

Shiki avoided her imploring eyes and continued to watch the endless flow of traffic. His cheeks were dusted a faint shade of pink, almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye, but Rima had had _many_ years of training when it came to Shiki. Her eyes widened slightly.

"You're … you're not _jealous_ are you?" She giggled softly at the thought.

The blush on his cheeks deepened slightly, giving her all the answer she needed. Pale perfect skin had its disadvantages.

"Aww, Shiki! Kawaii!" She laughed, her musical laughter making it impossible for Shiki to be mad at her.

"Baka … " He drawled out in reply, pulling her into his arms for a hug. "You were great just then!"

Later that day, Shiki was sitting in his dorm room, trying to decide what tie he should wear to go with his tux. It was the school's Valentine's Ball that night, and as tradition, he and Rima would go to the ball together as partners. But he wanted this ball to be something more meaningful and important. He held the little box in his hand, hoping that it would bring about the first day of his dream come true.

Not long afterwards, Shiki was standing at the doorway to Rima's dorm room, dressed in his smart white tuxedo. His hand slipped into his pocket, clenching around the little velvet box that rested there. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in, Shiki!" came her soft voice.

He pushed open the door and came face to face with an angel. Rima stood in front of a floor length mirror, wearing a beautiful pale blue gown that fitted her perfectly. Her normally poker straight hair that was usually tied up in two high bunches tumbled gracefully past her shoulders in soft curls, with a pale blue flower adorning the side of her hair.

"So, what do you think?" Rima asked, twirling around like a little girl and making the dress flow out gracefully.

"You look … beautiful, Rima…" Shiki replied, totally awe-struck and enchanted by her beauty. He gave her a warm hug, before pulling back and kissing her softly on the forehead.

Rima laughed nervously, not entirely sure what to make of his hesitant remark. Nevertheless, she thought she saw what appeared to be approval in his gaze and let it slip.

She then sat next to him on the bed and twirled a piece of hair around her fingers, staring nervously at her lap. Shiki sat beside her, willing his hammering heart to calm down enough so that he could hear himself speak. His fingers played with the soft velvet box in his trouser pocket.

As the awkward silence proceeded, both began to feel slightly uncomfortable and felt the need to say something.

"Will you be my Valentine?" Both rushed out in perfect unison.

Twin expressions of shock displayed on both their faces as they stared at each other, their eyes widened, a light blush dusting their cheeks.

Then they both erupted into a fit of laughter, all awkwardness vanished.

Shiki reached into his pocket and presented the little box to Rima, just as Rima reached behind her and presented him with a big box of chocolates. This no doubt brought another onslaught of laughter. It seemed they had some kind of mental connection tonight.

Both graciously accepted their gift and Shiki sat watching Rima hold the little box up to her ear, shaking it gently. It made a soft thumping noise.

"Ne, Shiki, what is it?"

"Open it and see …" he drawled, amusement clear on his face.

Rima stroked her fingers over the top of the velvet box before lifting the lid to reveal its contents. There in the middle of the velvet box sat a little crystal heart that was a little smaller than Rima's palm. She looked at it, her eyes wide and a smile gradually spread itself across her features.

"Arigato, Shiki … it's beautiful …" It seemed it was now her turn to be enchanted.

"Open it." He told her again, tilting the heart up to reveal a little lock on its side.

"… But … how?" Rima asked, confusion clear in her voice. "I don't have the key … "

Shiki laughed. "Baka … You've always had the key to my heart … and always will … " Shiki murmured, reaching behind her head and producing a little crystal key, tied on a little ribbon.

Rima's hands flew to her hair. "What? How?"

Shiki laughed again at her expression. "A magician never reveals his secrets … " he drawled, earning him a soft punch in the shoulder from Rima.

Nevertheless, she was willing to be enchanted by him, and instead of attempting to pry the answer out of him, she turned her attention to the crystal heart and key before her. She carefully put the key into the lock and turned. The heart clicked open and she lifted the lid, her fingers reaching inside to pull out a silver necklace. A pendant hung from it; featuring a blue stone-set rose, with its stem in the shape of a heart around the blossom.

"I wanted my flower to last forever," Shiki explained.

Rima was on the verge of tears. It was truly beautiful. His love was truly beautiful.

"Thank you so much, Shiki …" she whispered, leaning in and giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

Shiki smiled. Today was definitely the best day of his life.

Rima wore her necklace to the ball and vowed never to take it off. She received many compliments and this time, Shiki didn't feel the least bit of jealousy when other boys approached her. He knew she was his now and the thought made him smile.

The night went very well and as Shiki danced with her that night, he noticed how the lights reflected off her blue eyes and the little pendant, making them shimmer and glitter. Her hair flew out as she spun, making her look like she had a halo. She looked even more like an angel.

When Shiki retired to his room after the ball, he went straight to his bed and took out the box of chocolates Rima had given him. He had been so excited about Rima's gift that he had forgotten all about his own. He now looked at the heart shaped box, tied with a ribbon, and noticed that they were a selection of different chocolates. He opened the lid and his hand automatically reached for the milk chocolate heart … only to suddenly change his mind and instead went for the dark chocolate one.

He lifted it to his mouth and bit into it, then nodded his head in confirmation.

_After the bitterness, the sweetness tastes so much sweeter._

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_Well, I hope you liked it! I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's day, regardless of whether you had a date or not. =P No worries, Vacancy will hopefully be updated shortly and hopefully my computer won't be giving me problems after this! Please leave me a review! It'll make me feel loved this Valentine's Day lol ^.~ Much love, Suki Yume x_


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